Order Up!: Escape Simulator
By Rae
After a long time of mostly being home alone, the urge to check out more multiplayer games definitely hit, and I loved the idea of Escape Simulator the moment it was recommended to me. A virtual escape room, Escape Simulator lets you and your friends (though there is a solo player option as well) move through realistic escape rooms filled with puzzles galore. Everything can be interacted with and examined, and you can pick up clues as you move forward – can you get free?
Multiplayer puzzle games tend to be few and far-between – honestly, multiplayer games that are neither FPS nor brawlers in general seem to be in shorter supply than I wish they were. Not only does this little gem fill a genre void that I’m always wishing to see more in, but it also does it quite well. Some of the challenges are difficult to figure out, but with the help of a small hint system, we didn’t run into anything that we felt we couldn’t solve. Since it was our first time playing, we ran through one of the levels for game night, and took on the Egyptian tomb. The puzzles were clever, fun, and had a lot of great mythological references that made them feel very immersive.
Escape Simulator is a fantastic puzzle game in general, but once you consider the ability to take a group of friends on your escape adventure with you, it’s even more so. Apparently it’s been tested with up to ten players, though to be honest I would recommend no more than four with the amount of space you get in some rooms.
Overall, it wasn’t too intimidating to just jump in and start. Mostly we only got tripped up before realizing that the game seemed to lock onto the first player who would interact with certain puzzles and not let other players work on them instead, but overall that wasn’t a big detractor for us, and happened only two or three times in the entire level. We did also experience some issues with getting disconnected, but the game itself doesn’t disconnect when that happens for one player, and you can start each separate room from the menu, so at worst, when we finished we would go back to the main menu to start the next one with all of us present.
The character creator is also a little small – you can pick hair color, a few different styles, and an accessory or two, but don’t expect to make anything wildly unique or different. The graphics are quite good however, and the game runs quite smoothly.
The puzzles themselves ranged from very quick and easy to presenting quite a challenge, but nothing felt insurmountable or stressful. While there is a timer displayed on the wall, this is only for award purposes and doesn’t end the room when it finishes, so players get to leave with the feeling that they accomplished something, instead of being disappointed they couldn’t finish in time.
With a handful of different levels currently available and each one taking a decent amount of time if you’re just casually playing, this one gives plenty to do so far. It also boasts community-made rooms to try out, meaning the fun doesn’t have to stop when you finish all the official levels.
If you’re looking for a more comfortable co-op experience than the usual shooting games and blowouts, Escape Simulator is a great option – the puzzles are approachable, the game runs nicely, and there’s plenty of content to play on a virtual night in with friends.
Order Up! is a weekly column featuring indie-focused reviews, news, or interviews! We like old games just as much as new ones and are always looking for something to check out. Have a game recommendation, a project, or a company you want to talk about? Email me at rae@thegeeklygrind.com or find me on Twitter @ArcanaChance